Día de la Familia

Two weeks ago was the Día de la Familia of Niños con Valor in Pairumani, a park in Cochabamba. There’s nothing like a family barbeque in the summer (or winter if you’re in Bolivia) but this barbeque was a very special one.

The tías organized a number of games, and it was awesome to see the boys and girls have fun together. It was a beautiful day and the food was great. You know it’s a Bolivian barbeque when the grill’s fired up and this amount of meat is being cooked:

But what made the event so special was that it actually felt like there was a huge family celebrating. The staff, volunteers, and our friends who came in a church group from Massachusetts and Virginia for the week were all there. The love of these people for the children was evident. The day was full of kids running around, laughing, and being showered with hugs. The boys and girls were given gifts by the church group, and some of them gave heartfelt speeches to express their gratitude.

Through it all, I saw kids who had been orphaned, abandoned, and neglected experience in part what it feels like to belong to a family. For me, the day provided a glimpse into the love God has for us, his adopted children. By dying on the cross, Jesus Christ forgives us our of sins and loves us as his children. God does not leave us on our own, but welcomes us to celebrate as members of His family. What a pleasure to see this kind of love acted out on such a wonderful day.